Breathe
by Zoey Overbeck
Summary: Despite the emotional overload he was experiencing at the moment, all he could remember was to breathe. Jerlita oneshot.


This crappy one-shot was written during my 2 hour free today in between bouts of editing and updating the new chapter of Ascension (yet to be released).

Inspiration: "Paralyzer"- Finger Eleven, "Best of Epic Music VI: Powerful and Emotional", and, indirectly, Beriothien Nenharma (Lost Lantean).

* * *

Aelita's eyes were fixed onto the mahogany flooring, a glass of juice balanced precariously on trembling fingertips. Bored emerald orbs burned holes into the expensive wood, seeing it, but not quite seeing it at the same time. She hadn't gotten enough sleep the night before, staying up late with Yumi the day before to prepare for this special night. Now, she was paying for it, her mind clouded with the lack of rest.

She yawned, covering her mouth slightly with a hand. XANA _would_ have laughed and seized the opportunity to turn her into live bait for her father. The ghost of a smile flickered on her face for a moment before disappearing.

_'Yeah,'_ she thought, shaking her head, _'too bad he was destroyed, though'_

Odd managed to have obtained a table for all five of them in the restaurant with bribes and flattery- two of his most potent weapons at hand. The prom wasn't turning out as well as they'd hoped, however. So far, Ulrich was sulking somewhere in a corner within the building while Yumi chose to hide in the bathroom. Odd was having a field day with the refreshments area, she was left to her own devices, and she had no idea where her favorite boy genius was.

At least two boys had already asked her to dance, but she had turned them down, waiting for the only person she thought was the perfect person to dance with. In addition, she wasn't certain how far the genius's jealousy went if he saw her dancing with another boy. After all, if Ulrich threw a fit when Yumi danced one song with William Dunbar, who knows how Jeremie would emotionally react.

Something lightly touched her shoulder. Aelita jerked awake with a small yip, nearly dropping the glass on the floor. Instinctively, she struck a defensive pose, tottering on the high heels she swore the Japanese teen had tricked her into wearing. A lengthy second later, and she looked_ vaguely_ threatening, glass drink fiercely clutched in the hand prepared to weaponize it and her legs shifted to make tipping her over _slightly_ more difficult. Yumi taught her some defensive moves. Ulrich probably would have been proud.

Jeremie quickly ducked as her hand shot out, the darkly colored liquid harmlessly flying over his head. He loathed the idea of paying for dry cleaning to remove the stain from the already expensive tuxedo he rented. Emily shrieked as her pristine dress suddenly became mottled with cranberry juice and shoved people out of the way like a raging bull, intent on finding the person responsible. Sissi, who was the closest person to her, snickered. Emily whirled to face her and roared. Her face as white as a ghost, the principal's daughter turned and ran as the former gave chase.

Aelita quickly deserted her glass on the slightly messy table at the turn of events, face turning a shade of red darker than that of her hair. Jeremie extended a hand, and she quickly took it, practically dragging the poor teenager away from the scene of the crime in her frenzied dash.

Stumbling into a private room, the duo piled in, panting heavily and shutting the door behind them and hoping that the enraged female wouldn't find out that it wasn't Sissi's doing. Jeremie sighed loudly and groped for the light switch. A finger hit the panel, and the teenager quickly flicked the switch upward, bathing the expanse in light.

The room itself appeared to not have been used for quite some time. Although it didn't appear to be dirty, covered in dust, or riddled with insects, a musty odor hung about, lingering in the air like an unwanted guest at a party. The room was decorated with painted wooden molding and ornate chandeliers hung from the ceiling, which was painted to appear as if angelic beings were flooding into the space.

Music filtered into the room, the pounding bass beats permeating through the closed door. Jeremie rubbed his temples- he had never been a fan of pop music. However, it abruptly changed to a melody familiar to the male prodigy, and he smiled, a plan formulating in his mind.

Aelita's breath hitched as Jeremie stepped closer to her, his breath soon tickling her neck. She froze as an arm cautiously wrapped around her waist, the other resting under her chin. Bright sapphire eyes were filled with anxiety, and his face was slightly paler than normal as blood left his face.

His eyes took in her being as her stunning, ankle-length sleeveless pink dress accentuated her body, the dress itself highlighted by silk sashes of white and scarlet. Her faux-diamond clip-on earrings glistened in the light, shattering the beams of light and coloring the fragments red, green, orange, and blue. Darker pink elbow-length gloves completed the setup. Jeremie inwardly smiled; it was so like Aelita to wear this type of dress- conservative and stylish, but not extremely flashy.

Sissi had declared that tall boys dating shorter girls were cute, and for once, Aelita found that she had to agree with her. Although he experienced a growth spurt last year, she was only two inches shorter than him with her heels. Slyly, she extended an arm, and instead of resting it on his shoulder as he thought, she dimmed the lights. Giving him a shy wink, she rested both hands on his shoulders and started to dance with him, a mixture of twirls and waltz-like moves.

For a while, they moved about in reverent silence, simply enjoying each other's company. For Aelita, she simply melted into Jeremie's arms, willing him to take the lead and guide her through the dance. Her eyes met his and held his gaze, noting that his bright eyes were exceptionally beautiful tonight in the soft yellow light radiated from the chandelier.

For the latter however, he carefully analyzed each movement, measured each breath, unwilling to royally screw up on his princess's first prom. Slowly, hesitantly, Jeremie opened his mouth and began to softly sing. His voice cracked slightly, and his voice was ill suited to perfectly render the song, but Aelita didn't mind. It was only the meaning the counted instead of the aesthetics of the singing.

"I want to stand with you on the mountain" Jeremie murmured in his ear, his face reddening as he warbled the next verse, "I want to bathe with you in the sea..."

Aelita merely smiled and listened to his nervous voice, forgetting the judgmental society that lay outside and simply breathing deeply in exhilaration. Her heart was aflutter with emotions, joy mixing with anticipation.

"I want to lay like this forever, until the sky falls down on me"

Aelita buried her head in his chest, feeling its rise and fall and listening to his heartbeat. At one point, she raised her head slightly and sniffed his lapel, contentedly "mmmm"-ing as the faint scent of the rose tickled her nose. Jeremie's blush turned the deepest shade of crimson imaginable, and his voice started to shake. In his mind, multiple confusing signals shot through his brain.

_Proximity warning! Error! Error! Abort, abort, abort!_

He attempted to gently pull away from Aelita, but she clung on like a barnacle, latching onto his stiff suit and wrapping her arms around his torso. She looked comfortable enough within his arms, obviously having waited for a lengthy amount of time for an entry point to execute gestures of affection.

They heard a crash outside and a small shriek of terror. Words between the two went unneeded; Emily had caught up to Sissi and most likely tackled her to the floor. Shouting ensued as chaperones attempted to pull the two apart, but to no avail. Eventually, the two were lead away, and the prom resumed normally.

Voices outside drifted through the locked door, intermingling with the music as it changed to another slow dance song. He heard Yumi and Odd asking about the whereabouts of their other friends and Ulrich replying. Jeremie slightly smiled; it seemed that he and Yumi had managed to salvage the remainder of the night.

Aelita laughed, shook her head, and continued to nuzzle Jeremie, taking in his scent and willing herself to go limp in his hold. Jeremie froze momentarily, then willed himself to move once more. Despite the emotional overload he was experiencing at the moment, all he could remember was to breathe.

* * *

Music: "Truly, Madly, Deeply" - Savage Garden


End file.
